Art Pays Me

I chat with Artist, Coach and Teacher Gwen Fox about her art practice and how she helps other artists develop as creators and business people through her coaching and teaching programs. We also talk about how shifting your mindset can help you achieve your goals as an artist. I felt like Gwen and I were kindred spirits. This is a great episode for the creative "late-bloomers" who are tired of aspiring to be an artist.

Find out more about Gwen on her website.

Painter, Video Artist and Textile Artist and Yale School Of Art student, Hangama Amiri chatted with me about the powerful statements in her art. She shares why her Afghan heritage is an influence on her work and we bond over the fact that we're both immigrants who juggle multiple identities.

Hangama offers some advice about pricing art and I share the story of the first time I sold a painting. Hangama's focus and confidence in who she is as an artist is palpable. This is a great episode for people who are interested in what it's like to pursue a career in fine arts.

Hangama Online:

• Hangama's Website
• Hangama on Instagram
• Hangama on Twitter

On this episode I use a basketball analogy to talk about the importance of trying and how it looks like failure sometimes, even when it's a stepping stone to success. I also talk about why you need to believe in your ability when others don't.

On episode 15 I interview Beau Cleeton, a Product Developer, Artist and the CEO of rolling paper company, Canadian Lumber. We challenge the commonly held belief that artists can't or shouldn't be business people.

We talked about how Canadian Lumber came to be a leader in the Canadian rolling paper industry, its business model and how Beau's passion for Cannabis helped him first identity, then capitalize on a hole in the market.

We talked about how Beau used his time at the Nova Scotia College Of Art and Design to amass an eclectic skill set that's helped him in his career.

I share the story of how Beau and his team at Napkin (Beau's former creative agency) helped me to develop Art Pays Me into the brand it is today.

This is the longest episode so far but a great one for artists wondering if they have what it takes to run a business.

Find out more about Beau and Canadian Lumber:

• Cdnlumber.ca
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Facebook
• BB Roskeworth

This episode is a recording of a podcasting panel that I spoke on during Social Media Day Halifax 2018. It took place before this podcast existed and I was still co-host of Changing the Narrative but I'm sharing it because I think that information is valuable and still holds up.

The panel featured – Mike Tanner Digital Story Teller and Branding Specialist – Erin Trafford, Marketing Strategist and guest from episode 13 and yours truly, Duane Jones. It was hosted by Stacy Maynard who is an expert LinkedIn Training.

All of us are experienced podcasters, with different approaches to how we do it so if you're considering starting a podcast this episode will be a great one for you.

We talked about:

• Why we started podcasting
• What our podcasting setups look like from a technical standpoint
• Our opinions on the ideal podcast length and structure
• The importance of understanding your audience
• What the main thing you need to do well if you want a successful podcast.

Links

• Social Media Day Halifax
• Mike Tanner
• Erin Trafford

Erin Trafford is an award-winning broadcaster, media and brand ambassador and influencer marketing strategist. We talk about her roots in journalism and as an OG in the influencer game. Erin explains what it means to be a city mouse and country mouse and how she uses those dual identities to win over clients. We discuss why having a background in journalism is valuable in the current entrepreneurial climate and Erin shares how statistics outside of Instagram follower count can be used to articulate your value to brands you want to work with as an influencer.

Web

• The Blog Girl Chronicles
• Erin Trafford

Instagram

• @thebloggirlchronicles
• @Its.erintrafford

Pinterest

https://www.pinterest.ca/diy_passion_/

On Episode 12 I chat with Architect and Adjunct Professor and lecturer at Dalhousie University School of Architecture, Eric Stotts about what an architect does, what skills an aspiring architect should develop and why it's important to consider history and human need when creating new developments. We also have a great philosophical discussion about function vs aesthetic needs in design. This is a great one for the design nerds!

http://www.ericstottsarchitect.com/

On episode 11 of Art Pays Me, I speak with Grammy nominated, MTV Award and Cannes Lions Award winning Director, Andy Hines about how he went from making videos for clients in Nova Scotia to directing music videos for ASAP Mob and how that gave him the industry credibility to work with other big artists.

Andy shares his philosophy around the importance of making good work, making a lot of it, putting yourself in front of people and how the internet has made it possible to have a big reach even if you live in a small city.

Andy spills the tea on whether it's more difficult to work with celebrity artists or mom and pop shops. We talk about what it means to write a film treatment.

We also got personal and discussed how finding life partners and becoming dads improved things for us both personally and professionally.

www.andyhines.tv

Videos we reference in the episode:

• Logic featuring Alessia Cara, Khalid - 1-800-273-8255
• A$AP Ferg featuring A$AP Rocky - Shabba

Katrina Lopes is the president of KL Management, an artist management company whose roster includes platinum selling and Juno Award winning artist and producer Shawn Desman, R&B/soul artist, actor and cultural curator TiKA, and emerging pop/R&B artist Mandia. We talked about what an artist manager does, setting boundaries, why she started doing online coaching and the unconventional path she took to get to where she is today.

• KL Management
• Katrina on Instagram

Alison Knott is a coding queen, graphic designer and instructor with over a decade in the field of all things web and design. She's also a very talented illustrator and public speaker. She's also one of the people behind the East Coast Creative Collective (E3C), a monthly artist meetup and has a hand in many other Halifax based conferences and meetups.

We talk about the importance of community, women and diversity in design and tech, teaching and why SEO matters.

Alison on the net:

• Eraserheader
• Drawstrange
• East Coast Creative Conference (E3C)
• WordPress Halifax